Neil Lennon has paid tribute to Celtic boss Martin O’Neill ahead of this Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.
In a classic Hollywood script, it’s the master vs the apprentice as Celtic face Dunfermline at Hampden.
Lennon has done a tremendous job to get the Pars to this stage, beating three Scottish Premiership sides on the road to the final hurdle.
Facing his former boss in O’Neill, he sent a classy message about what he is expecting to be a “surreal” experience.
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Neil Lennon on ‘surreal’ meeting with Celtic boss Martin O’Neill
Discussing the build-up to the game this week, Lennon told The Herald: “The reality of this is sort of kicking in now.
“It’s about getting your professional head on, but it’ll still be surreal considering how long I’ve known him, what he’s done for my career and the influence he’s had on me.
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“Not just when I was playing football either, during my management career as well.
“I couldn’t ask for anyone better to learn from over the years. It doesn’t surprise me what he’s done this season, even though he’s at the grand age of 74.
“He’s an amazing guy and he’s also an amazing manager and it’ll be a privilege walking out with him on Saturday.
“What have I learned from him? I’ve learned how to win football matches, how to win trophies, how to manage, the game itself, the psychology of the game, the tactical side of the game, the media side of the game, the intellectual side of the game. Do you want me to go on?
“I don’t think there’s anything else there! The humour, the winning, but the suffering as well, coming back for more after defeats, having that sort of mentality.
“He teaches you how to win. I was very, very lucky that I had 10 years of Martin in his pomp.
Should Celtic build a statue of Martin O’Neill outside of Parkhead?
“Everyone talks about what he did here, but what he did at Leicester was incredible. He obviously got promotion, but then we had four top ten finishes in the Premier League and got to three League Cup finals. He was on a fraction of a budget compared to the rest.
“If that was a modern day manager now, he’d be going to Bayern Munich or somewhere like that. I loved being a part of it.
“Then he came up here and he blew Scottish football wide open. He changed the face of Scottish football with the team that he built. I was very lucky to be part of that. I’m very, very grateful for what he’s given to me in football.”
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